Method and apparatus for transferring the state of content using short codes

ABSTRACT

Method and a system to transfer the state of web-based content between devices through use of a short code. An example method includes determining a state of content being accessed on a device. The method further includes assigning a short code to the state of the content. The short code may have a limited number of characters. The method may further include storing the short code and the state of the content. The method may further include providing the content according to the state of the content on a second device based on the short code.

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/535,221 (Attorney Docket No. 2043.991PRV), filed Sep.15, 2011 and entitled “Shortcode as State Transfer,” which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Example embodiments of the present application relate generally toelectronic devices, and more specifically, in an example embodiment, toa system and method for transferring a state of content among devices.

BACKGROUND

Networked devices are capable of accessing content on a website over anetwork connection. Content may be accessible via a network-addressableresource identifier, such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). In thecourse of accessing content, a user may progress beyond an initialstarting point in accessing the content. For example, when a user isaccessing an electronic commerce site, the user may perform one or morebrowsing and purchasing activities. In another example, when a user isaccessing multimedia content, the user may view a portion of thecontent. In certain situations, the user may cease accessing the contentfrom a particular device and may wish to resume accessing of the contentfrom a different device. When the user accesses the content from adifferent device, the user may be required to re-enter the URL in orderto render the content on the different device. However, the user may betaken back to an initial starting point of the URL instead of to thesame portion of the content that the user was viewing on the firstdevice. The user may then need to re-navigate to the desired portion ofthe content, resulting in frustration or delays for the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by way ofexample, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network architecture of a system,according to some embodiments, having a client-server architectureconfigured for exchanging data over a network.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of various components of a network-basedpublisher, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example method, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative example of fields of a database table of adatabase for storing a short code.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative example of short code generation.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative example of navigating to portions ofcontent based on a short code.

FIG. 7 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system within which a set of instructions may beexecuted to cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and apparatuses used to transfer a code indicating the state ofcontent between devices are disclosed. In the following description, forpurposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. Itmay be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the subjectmatter of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specificdetails.

Users of computing devices often view the same web page on multipledevices. For example, a user may view a web page on a first device suchas a laptop, and later on a second device such as a smartphone. In manyscenarios, the state of the web page is not important, and the user isnot necessarily interested in viewing the web page in the same state onthe second device. For example, if a user is viewing a news website on afirst device and then wishes to view the same news website on a seconddevice, the user can enter the web address on the second device to viewthe news content. Often, this is sufficient for the user's news-viewingneeds.

However, in some situations the user may consider it important to accessthe content on the second device at the same point that the user wasaccessing the content on the first device. For example, a user maysearch for and view items on an auction website using a first device,such as a smart TV. The user may wish to complete the bidding orpurchase on a second device such as a phone. However, it may be moredifficult to browse to the auctioning site, search for the item ofinterest, etc. on the phone.

A user may wish to operate on any number of devices, all of which may beof different dimensions, and all of which may present a differentgraphical user interface (GUI) to a user. When a user changes from adevice with a certain dimension and a certain GUI, to a second devicewith different dimensions and a different GUI, it may become moredifficult to view certain content or to perform certain operations. Forexample, a smart TV may have relatively large dimensions and advancedGUI to make it easier to browse through a shopping website. Compared toa smart TV, a mobile phone would have very small dimensions and provideless navigability on a shopping website due to the size and features ofthe handset. A tablet or laptop computer may offer still differentdimensions and GUI capabilities. However, while the GUI may be differenton the different devices, the actual state of the website may be thesame and the user may wish to view the website in the same state on thedifferent devices, regardless of the details of dimension or GUIimplementation on the different devices.

Example embodiments, therefore, allow the user to use a short code, witha limited number of characters, to simplify access to the content on thesecond device. In example embodiments, the first device may generate orprovide the short code. The short code may be stored in a database orother storage means that relates or ties the short code to the state thecontent was in at the point the user was accessing the content on thefirst device. This short code may then be entered or relayed by othermeans to the second device, and the user may then resume access to thecontent on the second device at the same point the user left offaccessing the content on the first device.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram depicting a network system 100, according toone embodiment, having a client-server architecture configured forexchanging data over a network 104 (e.g., the Internet or Wide AreaNetwork (WAN)) to one or more clients. For example, the network system100 may be a publication/publisher system 102 where clients maycommunicate and exchange data within the network system 100. The datamay pertain to various functions (e.g., selling and purchasing of items)and aspects (e.g., data describing items listed on thepublication/publisher system) associated with the network system 100 andits users. In some embodiments, the data may correspond to multimediacontent, audio content, or visual content. Although illustrated hereinas a client-server architecture as an example, other example embodimentsmay include other network architectures, such as a peer-to-peer ordistributed network environment.

A data exchange platform, in an example form of a network-basedpublisher 102, may provide server-side functionality, via a network 104(e.g., the Internet) to one or more clients. The one or more clients mayinclude users that utilize the network system 100 and more specifically,the network-based publisher 102, to exchange data over the network 114.These transactions may include transmitting, receiving (communicating)and processing data to, from, and regarding content and users of thenetwork system 100. The data may include content and user data. Suchcontent and user data may be, for example, audio content; visualcontent; audiovisual content; feedback data; user reputation values;user profiles; user attributes; product and service reviews; product,service, manufacture, and vendor recommendations and identifiers;product and service listings associated with buyers and sellers; auctionbids; transaction data; and payment data. However, it will be understoodthat such content and user data is not limited thereto.

In various embodiments, the data exchanges within the network system 100may be dependent upon user-selected functions available through one ormore client or user interfaces (UIs). The UIs may be associated with aclient machine, such as a client machine 106 using a web client 110. Theweb client 110 may be in communication with the network-based publisher102 via a web server 120. The UIs may also be associated with a clientmachine 108 using a programmatic client 112, such as a clientapplication, or a third party server 114 hosting a third partyapplication 116. It can be appreciated in various embodiments the clientmachine 106, 108, or third party application 114 may be associated witha buyer, a seller, a third party electronic commerce platform, a paymentservice provider, or a shipping service provider, each in communicationwith the network-based publisher 102 and optionally each other. Thebuyers and sellers may be any one of individuals, merchants, or serviceproviders, among other things.

In various embodiments, the client machine may connect to a networkthrough which the client machine requests and accesses content from oneor more content providers. The content providers may broadcast,multicast, stream, or otherwise transmit the content to the clientdevices. In some embodiments, the client machine may store contentpreviously retrieved from a content provider and may access the storedcontent. In addition to the above-disclosed embodiments, in variousembodiments, the client machine may be associated with a user or contentviewer.

Turning specifically to the network-based publisher 102, an applicationprogram interface (API) server 118 and a web server 120 are coupled to,and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectively to, one or moreapplication servers 122. The application servers 122 host one or morepublication application(s) 124. The application servers 122 are, inturn, shown to be coupled to one or more database server(s) 126 thatfacilitate access to one or more database(s) 128.

In one embodiment, the web server 120 and the API server 118 communicateand receive data pertaining to listings, transactions, feedback, andcontent items among other things, via various user input tools. Forexample, the web server 120 may send and receive data to and from atoolbar or webpage on a browser application (e.g., web client 110)operating on a client machine (e.g., client machine 106). The API server118 may send and receive data to and from an application (e.g., clientapplication 112 or third party application 116) running on anotherclient machine (e.g., client machine 108 or third party server 114).

The publication application(s) 124 may provide a number of publisherfunctions and services (e.g., search, listing, content viewing, payment,etc.) to users that access the network-based publisher 102. For example,the publication application(s) 124 may provide a number of services andfunctions to users for listing goods and/or services for sale, searchingfor goods and services, facilitating transactions, and reviewing andproviding feedback about transactions and associated users.Additionally, the publication application(s) 124 may track and storedata and metadata relating to listings, transactions, and userinteractions with the network-based publisher 102. In some embodiments,the publication application(s) 124 may publish or otherwise provideaccess to content items stored in application servers 122 or database(s)128 accessible to the application servers 122 and/or the databaseserver(s) 126.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a third party application 116 that may executeon a third party server 114 and may have programmatic access to thenetwork-based publisher 102 via the programmatic interface provided bythe API server 118. For example, the third party application 116 may useinformation retrieved from the network-based publisher 102 to supportone or more features or functions on a website hosted by the thirdparty. The third party website may, provide one or more listing,feedback, publisher or payment functions that are supported by therelevant applications of the network-based publisher 102. However, itwill be understood that the functions provided by the third-partywebsite are not limited thereto.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrating multiplecomponents that, in one example embodiment, are provided within thenetwork-based publisher 102 of the networked system 100 is shown. Thepublication system 102 may be hosted on dedicated or shared servermachines (not shown) that are communicatively coupled to enablecommunications between the server machines. The multiple components,themselves, are communicatively coupled (e.g., via appropriateinterfaces), either directly or indirectly, to each other and to variousdata sources, to allow information to be passed between the componentsor to allow the components to share and access common data. Furthermore,the components may access the one or more database(s) 128 via the one ormore database servers 126, both shown in FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, the publication system 102 comprises a network-basedmarketplace and provides a number of publishing, listing, andprice-setting mechanisms whereby a seller (e.g., business or consumer)may list (or publish information concerning) goods or services for sale.A buyer can search for, express interest in, or indicate a desire topurchase such goods or services. The seller, the buyer, or anycombination of the seller and buyer can set a price for a transactionpertaining to the goods or services. In some embodiments, a buyer mayalso post listings containing items the buyer is looking to purchase.Sellers may view listings posted by buyers and may provide the item tothe buyer if possible, by, in some embodiments, providing the item tothe buyer directly or by redirecting the buyer to a listing of therequested item that has been posted by the seller.

In some embodiments, the publication system 102 comprises one or morecontent providers, each of whom may comprises one or more contentservers, application servers, and database servers by which content maybe provided to users of the publication system 102. For example, thepublication system 102 may represent a content broadcasting andstreaming system for providing users access to content items, such astelevision shows, movies, and other multimedia content. In otherexamples, the publication system 102 may represent a content system forproviding users access to content items in the form of one or morewebsites and web pages that deliver content to users via an applicationnative to a client machine or via a web browsing application executingon a client machine.

To this end, the publication system 102 may comprise at least onepublication engine 202 and one or more selling engines 204. Thepublication engine 202 may publish information, such as item listings orproduct description pages, on the publication system 102. In someembodiments, the selling engines 204 may comprise one or morefixed-price engines that support fixed-price listing and price settingmechanisms and one or more auction engines that support auction-formatlisting and price setting mechanisms (e.g., English, Dutch, Chinese,Double, Reverse auctions, etc.). The various auction engines may alsoprovide a number of features in support of these auction-formatlistings, such as a reserve price feature whereby a seller may specify areserve price in connection with a listing and a proxy-bidding featurewhereby a bidder may invoke automated proxy bidding.

A listing engine 206 allows sellers to conveniently author listings ofitems or authors to author publications. In one embodiment, the listingspertain to goods or services that a user (e.g., a seller) wishes totransact via the publication system 102. Each good or service isassociated with a particular category. The listing engine 206 mayreceive listing data such as title, description, and aspect name/valuepairs. Furthermore, each listing for a good or service may be assignedan item identifier. In other embodiments, a user may create a listingthat is an advertisement or other form of information publication. Thelisting information may then be stored to one or more storage devicescoupled to the publication system 102 (e.g., databases 128). Listingsalso may comprise product description pages that display a product andinformation (e.g., product title, specifications, reviews) associatedwith the product. In some embodiments, the product description page mayinclude an aggregation of item listings that correspond to the productdescribed on the product description page.

The listing engine 206 also may allow buyers to conveniently authorlistings or requests for items desired to be purchased. In someembodiments, the listings may pertain to goods or services that a user(e.g., a buyer) wishes to transact via the publication system 102. Eachgood or service is associated with a particular category. The listingengine 206 may receive as much or as little listing data, such as title,description, and aspect name/value pairs, that the buyer is aware ofabout the requested item. In some embodiments, the listing engine 206may parse the buyer's submitted item information and may completeincomplete portions of the listing. For example, if the buyer provides abrief description of a requested item, the listing engine 306 may parsethe description, extract key terms and use those terms to make adetermination of the identity of the item. Using the determined itemidentity, the listing engine 206 may retrieve additional item detailsfor inclusion in the buyer item request. In some embodiments, thelisting engine 206 may assign an item identifier to each listing for agood or service.

Searching the network-based publication system 102 is facilitated by asearching engine 208. For example, the searching engine 208 enableskeyword queries of listings published via the publication system 102. Inexample embodiments, the searching engine 208 receives the keywordqueries from a device of a user and conducts a review of the storagedevice storing the listing information. The review will enablecompilation of a result set of listings that may be sorted and returnedto the client device (e.g., client device 106) of the user. Thesearching engine 208 may record the query (e.g., keywords) and anysubsequent user actions and behaviors (e.g., navigations).

In a further example, a navigation engine 210 allows users to navigatethrough various categories, catalogs, or inventory data structuresaccording to which listings may be classified within the publicationsystem 102. For example, the navigation engine 210 allows a user tosuccessively navigate down a category tree comprising a hierarchy ofcategories (e.g., the category tree structure 100) until a particularset of listing is reached. Various other navigation applications withinthe navigation engine 210 may be provided to supplement the searchingand browsing applications. The navigation engine 210 may record thevarious user actions (e.g., clicks) performed by the user in order tonavigate down the category tree.

In the event a user is accessing content and desires to cease accessingcontent from one device and resume accessing the content from a seconddevice, a short code generation module 212 may provide a short code thatrepresents a state of the content. The short code may be stored in astorage module 214. A short code recognition module 216 may provide auser interface and logic to recognize and process the submission of theshort code on the second device.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for providing a short code for transferringa state of content from a first user device to a second user device.

With reference to FIG. 3, a short code generation module 212 determinesa state of the content in operation 300. The state of the content caninclude, for example, a point in the content at which the user isaccessing the content. In at least one embodiment, the operation 300 auser may trigger a request for a short code. For example, the user maypress or click a user interface button requesting a short code. In atleast one embodiment, the content itself may trigger operation 300. Forexample, computer-implemented algorithms for displaying the content cancause short codes to be generated and displayed at any point or upon anyevent during display of the content.

The state of the content may refer to the progress or consumption pointof the content. In other words, when a user stops accessing content fromone device, the state may represent the point at which the user was lastaccessing the content on the first device. The state of the content mayfurther refer to any parameters, queries, etc., that the user wasimplementing at the point the user ceased accessing the content on thefirst device.

In operation 310, the short code generation module 212 assigns a shortcode to the determined state. The short code may include a limitednumber of characters. For example, the short code may include eightcharacters.

In some embodiments, the short code may be a randomly or pseudo-randomlygenerated code. In other embodiments, the short code may be a codederived from the accessed content. In some embodiments, the short codeis not a URL, but is a set of numerical digits capable of being enteredinto a variety of devices, such as televisions, computing devices,mobile devices, DVD players, video game systems, and so forth. The shortcode may be entered into these devices using user input devices, such asa remote control, keyboard, scroll wheel, or mouse, or by entering theshort code into a user interface using an input device (e.g., arrow keyson a remote control, keypad on a keyboard). The short code may time outafter a certain amount of time, for example, to maintain user privacy orto prevent fraudulent transactions.

In operation 320, the short code generation module 212 stores the shortcode and the state of the content in a storage module 214. In someembodiments, the short codes may be stored with the content, orparameters related to the content, associated with the short code. Insome embodiments, the short codes may be stored with an identifier of auser accessing the content associated with the short code.

The short codes and content may be stored in one or more databasetables. In some embodiments, the tables may enable a short code to bemapped to a state of the content. The state of the content may beidentified by a URL or other identifier that enables the publicationsystem 102 to retrieve the content represented by or related to theshort code from local or remote storage. In some embodiments, thestorage module 214 may store the content in a state corresponding to thepoint in time when the short code was generated.

An illustrative example of a database table for storing short codes isshown in FIG. 4. In the illustrative example, the short code may belisted in a first column or field of the database table. A second columnmay include a web page, for example in the form of a URL, correspondingto the short code. A third column may include a section of the web pagethat the user was accessing when the short code generation module 212generated the short code and a fourth column may include a subsection ofthis section. A fifth column may include terms that were used to queryor search for items on the web page, and a sixth column may includeother parameters related to the search. For example, a user may specifythat he wishes to view auction products in a grid view, and thereforethis parameter is reflected in the state of the content represented bythe short code.

Referring again to FIG. 3, in operation 330, the publication system 102may receive a request to access content on a second device.

In response to this request, or at any time previous to the request, inone example embodiment, the short code generation module 212 maytransmit the generated short code to a short code recognition module216. In at least another example embodiment, the short code generationmodule 212 displays the short code to the user and the user enters theshort code on the second device when the user wishes to access thecontent on the second device. The short code recognition module 216 mayprovide a user interface and logic to recognize and process thesubmission of a short code on a device. In at least another exampleembodiment, the short code recognition module 216 retrieves the shortcode from the storage module 214.

In operation 340, the short code recognition module 216 navigates to orprovides the content on the second device, based on the short code.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative example of operations of the method ofFIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 5, a user may be viewing an auction, forexample, on a television 510. The user may press a button of remotecontrol 520 to request a short code 530. The short code 530 representsthe state of the content at the time the user is accessing it on thetelevision 510. In the illustrative example, the state of the contentincludes having navigated to a particular auction page for a particularproduct. The auction page for the product may include buttons or otheruser input devices presenting opportunities to either buy or watch theproduct listing. A user may wish to perform either of these actions, forexample, or other actions (not shown) on a second device without havingto re-navigate to the desired product auction listing.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative example of further operations of themethod of FIG. 3. As shown in the left side of FIG. 6, the user, when ona second device for example a mobile device 600, enters a short code610. In example embodiments, the first device may transmit the shortcode over a network to the publication system 102. In other exampleembodiments, the second device may retrieve the short code and data fromthe storage module 214, described with respect to FIGS. 2 and 4. In someembodiments, the second device may use the entered short code to look upa mapping of short codes and content in one or more tables, describedwith respect to FIG. 4. When a record or entry containing a short codeis found that matches the entered short code, the corresponding contentin the record may be retrieved. In some embodiments, retrieval mayentail traversing a network to retrieve remotely stored content, whilein other embodiments, retrieval may occur locally. In other embodiments,local and remote data retrieval may be warranted.

On the right side of FIG. 6, the short code recognition module 216recognizes the code and navigates to the same content the user wasviewing on the first device, for example the television discussed abovewith respect to FIG. 5. The content corresponding to the short code maybe transmitted to the device that sent the short code to the publicationsystem 102 at the state at which the short code was generated. In thisrespect, the user may resume accessing content from the point at whichthe user stopped accessing the content on the first device.

In a non-limiting example embodiment, the user may be browsing itemsavailable for purchase on an e-commerce website on a first device, suchas a television. The user may have added one or more items to a shoppingcart or purchase wish list. At this point, for various reasons, the usermay decide to stop accessing the e-commerce website on the first device.The user may request that a short code that encapsulates a state of theuser's shopping experience, that is the user's browsing history anditems located in the user's shopping cart or wish list, be generated.The user may enter the short code into a second device, such as acomputing device, although the user may also enter the short code intothe first device to resume browsing and shopping. The short code maycause the computing device to access the e-commerce website at the pointat which the user stopped accessing the site on the first device. Theuser may then finish shopping on the e-commerce site and purchase theitems included in the user's shopping cart.

In some embodiments, the e-commerce website may generate the short codein response to the user's request for a short code. In otherembodiments, the first device itself may include a module that generatesthe short code and transmits the short code to the e-commerce websitefor storage. When the user submits the short code on the second device,the e-commerce website may retrieve the short code from memory andtransmit corresponding content at the state at which the short code wasgenerated to the second device.

In another non-limiting example embodiment, the user may be viewing acontent item, such as a television show, movie, or multimedia clip on afirst device, such as a television or tablet computing device. The usermay decide to stop accessing the content item from the first device.Accordingly, the user may request that a short code be generated torepresent the point in the content item at which the user stoppedviewing the content item. The user may enter the short code in a seconddevice and resume watching the content item from the point at which theuser previously stopped watching the content item on the first device.

In some embodiments, the content provider may generate the short code inresponse to the user's request for a short code. In other embodiments,the first device may generate the short code and transmit the generatedshort code to the content provider for storage. When the contentprovider receives a short code from the second device, the contentprovider may compare the short code to stored short codes to identify acontent item to retrieve and to identify a point in the content item atwhich to the content item is to be accessed by the user. The contentitem is provided to the second device for the user to resume viewing.

Modules, Components and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied (1) on a non-transitorymachine-readable medium or (2) in a transmission signal) orhardware-implemented modules. A hardware-implemented module is tangibleunit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured orarranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, one or morecomputer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system)or one or more processors may be configured by software (e.g., anapplication or application portion) as a hardware-implemented modulethat operates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware-implemented module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware-implementedmodule may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanentlyconfigured (e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC)) to perform certain operations. A hardware-implementedmodule may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., asencompassed within a general-purpose processor or other programmableprocessor) that is temporarily configured by software to perform certainoperations. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement ahardware-implemented module mechanically, in dedicated and permanentlyconfigured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g.,configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware-implemented module” should be understoodto encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily ortransitorily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certainmanner and/or to perform certain operations described herein.Considering embodiments in which hardware-implemented modules aretemporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of thehardware-implemented modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware-implementedmodules comprise a general-purpose processor configured using software,the general-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware-implemented modules at different times. Software mayaccordingly configure a processor, for example, to constitute aparticular hardware-implemented module at one instance of time and toconstitute a different hardware-implemented module at a differentinstance of time.

Hardware-implemented modules can provide information to, and receiveinformation from, other hardware-implemented modules. Accordingly, thedescribed hardware-implemented modules may be regarded as beingcommunicatively coupled. Where multiple of such hardware-implementedmodules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved throughsignal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) thatconnect the hardware-implemented modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware-implemented modules are configured or instantiated atdifferent times, communications between such hardware-implementedmodules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrievalof information in memory structures to which the multiplehardware-implemented modules have access. For example, onehardware-implemented module may perform an operation, and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware-implemented module may then,at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process thestored output. Hardware-implemented modules may also initiatecommunications with input or output devices, and can operate on aresource (e.g., a collection of information).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of amethod may be performed by one or processors or processor-implementedmodules. The performance of certain of the operations may be distributedamong the one or more processors, not only residing within a singlemachine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some exampleembodiments, the processor or processors may be located in a singlelocation (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment or as aserver farm), while in other embodiments the processors may bedistributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), these operations being accessible via anetwork (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces(e.g., Application Program Interfaces (APIs).)

Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of the engines or modulesdescribed may comprise one or modules to carry out specific operationsor tasks for the engine. For example, although not shown in FIG. 3, theshort code recognition module 312 may include a user interface module togenerate a user interface capable of receiving a short code submitted bya user.

Electronic Apparatus and System

Example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them.Example embodiments may be implemented using a computer program product,e.g., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier,e.g., in a machine-readable medium for execution by, or to control theoperation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor,a computer, or multiple computers.

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, subroutine,or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

In example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Methodoperations can also be performed by, and apparatus of exampleembodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry,e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Inembodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will beappreciated that that both hardware and software architectures requireconsideration. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice ofwhether to implement certain functionality in permanently configuredhardware (e.g., an ASIC), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., acombination of software and a programmable processor), or a combinationof permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be a designchoice. Below are set out hardware (e.g., machine) and softwarearchitectures that may be deployed, in various example embodiments.

Example Machine Architecture and Machine-Readable Medium

FIG. 7 shows a diagrammatic representation of machine in the exemplaryform of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed. In alternative embodiments, themachine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g.,networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-clientnetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment. The machine may be a server computer,a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a webappliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a singlemachine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 700 includes a processor 702 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU) a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both),a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicate with eachother via a bus 708. The computer system 700 may further include a videodisplay unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode raytube (CRT)). The computer system 700 also includes an alphanumeric inputdevice 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 714 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 718 (e.g., aspeaker) and a network interface device 720.

Machine-Readable Medium

The disk drive unit 716 includes a machine-readable medium 722 on whichis stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 724)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein. The software 724 may also reside, completely or at leastpartially, within the main memory 704 and/or within the processor 702during execution thereof by the computer system 700, the main memory 704and the processor 702 also constituting machine-readable media. Thesoftware 724 may further be transmitted or received over a network 726via the network interface device 720.

While the machine-readable medium 722 is shown in an exemplaryembodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium thatis capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions forexecution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any oneor more of the methodologies of the present disclosure. The term“machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but notbe limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, andcarrier wave signals.

Transmission Medium

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, subroutine,or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

The instructions 724 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 726 using a transmission medium. The instructions724 may be transmitted using the network interface device 720 and anyone of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examplesof communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”), a widearea network (“WAN”), the Internet, mobile telephone networks, Plain OldTelephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., WiFi andWiMax networks). The term “transmission medium” shall be taken toinclude any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding orcarrying instructions for execution by the machine, and includes digitalor analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitatecommunication of such software.

Thus, methods and apparatuses for transferring a state of content usingshort codes have been described. Although the present disclosure hasbeen described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it maybe evident that various modifications and changes may be made to theseembodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of thedisclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

The accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, show by way ofillustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which thesubject matter may be practiced. The embodiments illustrated aredescribed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art topractice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may beutilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logicalsubstitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scopeof this disclosure. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to betaken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments isdefined only by the appended claims, along with the full range ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining a state ofcontent being accessed on a first user device; assigning a short code tothe state of the content, the short code having a limited number ofcharacters; storing the short code and the state of the content; andproviding the content according to the state of the content on a seconddevice based on the short code.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thedetermining is triggered by a user request for a short code.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the determining is triggered by an eventwithin the content.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the short codebecomes invalid after a timeout duration.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the providing transmits the short code over a network interface.6. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing further transmits thecontent related to the short code over the network interface.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the providing is triggered by a user entry ofthe short code.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the short code isretrieved from a data storage device.
 9. A system comprising: a codegenerating module to determine a state of content being accessed on afirst user device, and assign a short code to the state of the content,the short code having a limited number of characters, and store theshort code and the state of the content; and a code recognition moduleto receive the short code and navigate to the content on a second devicebased on the short code.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the codegenerating module determines the state of the content upon receiving auser request for a short code.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein thecode generating module determines the state of the content at a pointduring access of the content.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein thecode generating module is further configured to transmit the short code.13. The system of claim 12, wherein the code generating module transmitsthe code to a mobile user device.
 14. A non-transitory machine-readablemedium having instructions embodied thereon, the instructions executableby one or more machines to perform operations comprising: determining astate of content being accessed on a first user device; assigning ashort code to the state of the content, the short code having a limitednumber of characters; storing the short code and the state of thecontent; and providing the content according to the state of the contenton a second device based on the short code.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 14, further configured to cause themachine to prevent use of the short code after a timeout duration. 16.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, furtherconfigured to cause the machine to perform operations of: providing auser interface; and receiving a user input of the short code over theuser interface.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim14, further configured to cause the machine to perform operations ofretrieving the short code and the state of the content from a memory.18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein theshort code and the state of the content is stored in a database table inthe memory.